Patient confidentiality

By law, everyone working for or on behalf of the NHS must respect your confidentiality and keep all information about you secure. In every place where you’re treated by the NHS, there are people responsible for protecting your confidentiality. These people are often known as Caldicott Guardians.

The NHS Care Records Service (NHS CRS) is a secure service that links patient information from different parts of the NHS electronically, so that authorised NHS staff and patients have the information they need to make care decisions.

There are two elements to the NHS Care Records Service: detailed records (held locally) and the Summary Care Record (held nationally).

The NHS Care Records Service will enable each person’s detailed records to be securely shared between different parts of the local NHS, such as the GP surgery and hospital.

Patients will also be able to have a summary of their important health information, known as their Summary Care Record, available to authorised NHS staff treating them anywhere in the NHS in England. Patients will be able to access their Summary Care Record using the secure website HealthSpace.

The NHS publishes a Care Records Guarantee for England. This says how the NHS Care Records Service will collect, store and allow access to your electronic records, and your options to take part in the service.